What is fixed telephone subscriptions in China?

Fixed telephone subscriptions in China was 166.51 million in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

What is the highest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in China?

The highest recorded value was 367.79 million in 2006.

What is the lowest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in China?

The lowest recorded value was 1.69 million in 1975.

How does China rank for fixed telephone subscriptions?

China ranks 1st out of 213 countries with data for 2024.

Is fixed telephone subscriptions rising or falling in China?

Over the last ten years it is down 33.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this China data come from?

The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), published as part of Fixed telephone subscriptions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Fixed telephone subscriptions in China

Name: Fixed telephone subscriptions in China
Creator: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

China: Fixed telephone subscriptions was 166.51 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)

166.51 million

Change on year

down 7.2%

World rank

1st

of 213 countries

All-time high

367.79 million

in 2006

All-time low

1.69 million

in 1975

Years of data

1975–2024

Fixed telephone subscriptions in China, 1975–2024

Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Analysis

In 2024, fixed telephone subscriptions in China stood at 166.51 million.

That represents a change of down 7.2% on the previous year and down 33.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fixed telephone subscriptions in China peaked at 367.79 million in 2006 and was at its lowest, 1.69 million, in 1975.

That places China 1st out of 213 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1970s	1.85 million	1.69 million	2.03 million	5
1980s	3.29 million	2.14 million	5.68 million	10
1990s	43.35 million	6.85 million	108.72 million	10
2000s	285.19 million	144.83 million	367.79 million	10
2010s	238.86 million	191.03 million	294.38 million	10
2020s	177.59 million	166.51 million	181.91 million	5

Countries ranked near China

2 United States 81.55 million compare
3 Japan 59.33 million compare
4 India 39.24 million compare

See the full ranking of 260 places →

More infrastructure data for China

Fixed telephone subscriptions 11.73 per 100 people (2024)
Mobile cellular subscriptions 131.75 per 100 people (2024)
Mobile cellular subscriptions 1.87 billion (2024)
Air transport, passengers carried 619.22 million (2023)
Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide 4.91 million (2023)
Air transport, freight 26,170 million ton-km (2023)
Renewable internal freshwater resources, total 2,813 billion cubic meters (2022)
Renewable internal freshwater resources per capita 1,992 cubic meters (2022)
Individuals using the Internet 91.6% (2025)
Annual freshwater withdrawals, domestic 20.1% (2022)

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is fixed telephone subscriptions in China?: Fixed telephone subscriptions in China was 166.51 million in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
What is the highest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in China?: The highest recorded value was 367.79 million in 2006.
What is the lowest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in China?: The lowest recorded value was 1.69 million in 1975.
How does China rank for fixed telephone subscriptions?: China ranks 1st out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
Is fixed telephone subscriptions rising or falling in China?: Over the last ten years it is down 33.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this China data come from?: The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), published as part of Fixed telephone subscriptions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator: Fixed telephone subscriptions
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 260 places, 14,482 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

Fixed telephone subscriptions refers to the sum of active number of analogue fixed telephone lines, voice-over-IP (VoIP) subscriptions, fixed wireless local loop (WLL) subscriptions, ISDN voice-channel equivalents and fixed public payphones.